Alumni of the International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) program shared their experience and reflected on the deep effect it has had on their careers and lives, at the 10-year anniversary celebration of the program on November 29. The program was the brainchild of Professor Ed Laurance, who ten years ago recognized the value of combining real-life work experience with rigorous academic training to prepare graduate students for the international careers of their dreams.

The program has been a huge success to the joy of its founders and current staff, who follow with great interest the careers of participants, many of whom secure long-term employment at the international organizations to which they are assigned. As Carolyn Taylor Meyer, director of professional immersive learning and special programs, points out: “IPSS is still a groundbreaking program after all these years, as most professional graduate programs still require their students to be on campus for four semesters.”